Fun in Fredericksburg TX

This morning we all piled in the car and set out for Fredericksburg TX.  Steve has been there before but it was Helen's first trip.  Dave even decided to join us.  We set off cross country because they were doing some work on 1604 this weekend and we didn't know if they were done.  Taking back roads is a little further but better than sitting in traffic.  We weren't that far down the road when I noticed that everyone else was sleeping.  Good thing I was driving.  Once we arrived in Fredericksburg, we had to make a stop at Moto Texas Powersport (used to be Scootiques) for Dave and Steve.  This place has all kinds of vintage motorcycles and scooters.  Then we headed downtown.

Another stop with Dave leading the way was Texas Jack's.  They have vintage as well as modern western clothes, guns, hats, etc.

Halloween has hit Main St in Fredericksburg.  This guy is made of all kinds of tools and machine parts.

We walked down several blocks of Main St carefully avoiding Rustlin' Robs (more on that later) until we arrived at Silver Creek Saloon and Restaurant.  It was a little daunting at first because there was no one else sitting there but I knew it was usually crowded.  Well, I guess they were just waiting for us because it quickly filled up once we sat down.  Sorry no food pictures but we had the Schnitzel Plate, the Rueben Plate, the German Sausage Plate, and a hamburger.

Then we were off walking again down past the National Museum of the Pacific War, where they were doing some renovation work.  We didn't stop to visit but you need to plan a full day when you visit as there is a lot to see.

There are lots of wine tasting places to visit.  Alas, Helen will be doing a triathlon event this weekend in Austin so wine was not on the menu.

There are always lots of flowers along Main St.  These were definitely not the prettiest but I took a shot because the one plant was so unique.

The Keidel Memorial Hospital building is the home of the Der Kuchen Laden, the Little Chef.

Another one of Dave's favorite stops is the shop with hundreds of metal signs for sale as well as pecans and various other vegetables in jars.

There are so many old and unique buildings in Fredericksburg.  Check out that elephant on this building.

Another stop for Dave (and I have a hard time dragging him up here, lol).

And on to his absolute favorite, Rustlin' Robs Texas Gourmet Foods.  When we arrived, I quickly steered us to the other side of the street.  Why you ask?  Because there would have been no lunch if we stopped here first.  How do I know that?  Previous experience.  They have every kind of honey butter, jam, jelly, spread, pickle, seasoning, fudge, etc., you can possibly imagine and there are samples of each.  This time we had to drag Helen out of there.

Another glimpse of Halloween.

Our final stop was Clear River Pecan Company.  This place is lost in the 50's with "Grease" playing on the video.  They have lots of sandwiches (on homemade breads), salads, soups, as well as bakery items and ice cream.  But we were there for coffee and lattes.  The sidewalks in Fredericksburg roll up at about 5PM, maybe 6PM latest for the shops but this place is open until 8PM.  We stayed in Fredericksburg in the RV just a few times......so we have been here many evenings.

Helen was still eyeing the baked goods.  If you train for and do triathlons, you can eat as much as you want of anything and still look great!

Our final stop was a run out to Ladybird Johnson RV Park.  This is where we usually stay when we have the RV.....and yes, the snowbirds have arrived.  Hmmm.....I see prices have gone up again.

It was a great day trip and we barely touched the surface.  There is so much to see here.

Pink Flamingo GTG - 2d Day (Fredricksburg)

Today started out great.  We all had breakfast in our RVs and then gathered at the Rec Hall for morning coffee. Our plan was to visit Fredricksburg today.  After we got the cars and riders straightened out, we headed out about 10 AM.  Fredricksburg is an interesting town to visit.  I've been there many times and still enjoy it every trip.  The atmosphere is German as there were many German settlers in this area.  Highway 290 goes right down Main Street with angle parking.  With so many RVs visiting the area, the long pickup trucks stick pretty far out in the road on each side but everything always seems to work.  We all parked at the Visitor's Center which is a block off Main Street behind the Museum of the Pacific.  They have a great parking lot with room for smaller RVs as well.

A couple in the group wanted to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War which is the only institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific and Asiatic Theaters in World War II. It was founded with the mission to honor the eight million Americans who served in the war against Japan and the more than 100,000 who gave their lives. A couple headed off to get haircuts.  Diana and Carolyn headed out to walk to the far end of town taking pictures as they went.  The rest of us visited shops along Main St.

One of the things visitors enjoy when they walk down Main St are the flowers.  Many of the shops have window boxes, big pots, or even bathtubs filled with growing flowers.

After spending several hours window shopping, we went to der Lindenbaum for lunch.  Here we are before lunch, happy right?

 As you can see, there were 6 of us at this table.

Four more came in and sat at a different table.

And, about 10 minutes after that, Carolyn and Diana arrived and sat at a third table.

 The waiter was not very personable.  Someone asked him about the two specials listed on the door and he told us what they were but didn't give any prices.  He told us they didn't take MasterCard or Visa and said they wouldn't do separate checks for parties larger than seven.  I said okay, that's fine because there are only 6 of us at this table.  We each put in our order.  The food was delivered separately to each table.  Everyone said their choice was good.

 Wiener Schnitzel

The special:  Frank and Sausage

Goulash

Somehow I missed a photo of Pat's Jagger Schnitzel but it was basically the Wiener Schnitzel with mushrooms in a wine sauce on top.  All included hot German potato salad with either red cabbage or sauerkraut.  Sounds good so far, right.  The food was very good.  The service was lackadaisical.  But then the bill came.  And I said bill--he did not give us separate checks as requested AND there were two totals on the bill.  We went up to the register to pay and things continued to go downhill.  They refused to break out the orders.  He told us there were two totals because he put both tables on the bill.  He said he could give us a calculator and a menu and we could break the bill out ourselves and figure out what we each needed to pay because they didn't do separate checks for 7 or more--it was on the door.  When I said there were only 6 at our table, he said we all "knew each other" so he put us on the same bill.  What logic!  I guess if people from Fredricksburg come in at the same time, he must put them all on the same bill too.  When we asked for the manager, another waitress said she wasn't there and would not be back for hours.  It finally took me mentioning that we were some of the many RVers in town, some of whom wrote blogs of their travels, before this waitress finally decided she could give us each our own total although still very grudgingly.  We each paid.  She remarked that they had been stiffed with a group before (seems like separate checks would do more to prevent that) so I made sure I asked if she had cleared the total amounts before we left.  So, would any of us eat at der Lindenbaum again--NO.  Should you?  Probably not unless there are only two of you and you would like decent service in addition to good food.  Three others from our group arrived after we had gone out the door.  The table they were given wouldn't really accommodate Ronnie's wheelchair and one of the staff commented that they had had enough drama for one day so these three people got up and left and went down the street to another fine German restaurant where they had great food AND great service.  Please don't take this as a negative comment on a visit to Fredricksburg because I have been coming to this town for years and have never had the staff in stores or restaurants act in this manner.

After we did a little more walking around, we stopped at the Fredericksburg General Store which is really a combined sandwich shop, bakery, and ice cream parlor with gifts.  By the way, service was fast and friendly.

Once back at the Peach Country RV park, we met on the porch for happy hour.

The owner stopped by to meet us and chat.  Another group of park residents also stopped by.  The parents live in the park and their grown children were all there to celebrate their Dad's 87th birthday Saturday night.  He still rides his motorcycle trike with his wife on back.  He wasn't with the group so his wife invited us all to come over to the party, have a drink to celebrate, and sing happy birthday to him.  So we are going to adjust our potluck and bingo party long enough to accommodate that.  Life is good in spite of little mishaps along the way.